A new report from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, estimates that a coordinated national platform for searching and accessing human biospecimens and data could generate up to $39 million in annual benefits. The savings and efficiencies would come from improved coordination across Australia’s more than 200 biobanks and cohort studies, enhancing research outcomes and accelerating scientific discovery.
Launched today in partnership with the NCRIS Health Group, NSW Health, University of Sydney, Medical Advances Without Animals Trust, Queensland Health, and University of New South Wales, the Valuation of increased coordination in Australian biobanking report aims to inform the country’s National Research Infrastructure Roadmap.
Australia stores over four million biospecimens, critical resources for biomedical, clinical, public, and population health research. These collections allow researchers to make better use of existing materials, ensure studies reflect the diversity of Australia’s population, and guide evidence-based health decisions.
Greg Williams, CSIRO Futures’ health and biosecurity lead, said national coordination offers major benefits. “Coordination at a national level reduces the time required to search and access biospecimens or data, accelerates research progress, promotes the use of existing biobanks, guides decisions about establishing or retiring collections, and improves overall risk management,” he said. “These aspects are essential to foster international collaborations, attract biopharmaceutical investment, and boost biobank outputs.”
Michael Dobbie, CEO of Phenomics Australia and steering committee member for the report, highlighted the longstanding need for national coordination. “Biobanks across all states and territories represent years of work by researchers, investment from funders, and trust from participants. Coordinating them nationally will maximise their value and accelerate lifesaving research,” he said.
Professor Jennifer Byrne, Director of Biobanking at NSW Health, noted that improving access and visibility could directly impact health outcomes. “For instance, a researcher studying a rare cancer could access biospecimens from multiple institutions, linked with rich clinical and genomic data, potentially uncovering new biomarkers that improve treatment responses and survival rates,” she said.
The report also outlines key recommendations for improving national coordination, including conducting a comprehensive survey of biobanks and cohort studies, implementing a shared national discovery and access platform, establishing a national governance framework, promoting a consistent quality management approach, and creating a national steering committee to guide coordination initiatives.
Bev Muhlhausler, Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, said the report provides a foundation for further discussions on connecting Australia’s biobanks through federated digital environments and consistent governance frameworks.
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